Caring for Your Family
How employers can ease the school holiday strain this Christmas period
For many working parents, school holiday time can bring a mix of emotions – excitement at the prospect of getting in some fun time with the kids, but anxiety at the thought of how to organise that much child care if, like most, you’re unable to take time off work for every day of it.…
Read MoreEmployer-Supported Childcare: Why it’s needed and how companies can provide it
With November 20th being World Children’s Day, UNICEF’s global day of action for children, it’s an opportunity to focus on a major issue for many working parents in Australia – childcare. Affordable, quality childcare is one of the four family-friendly policies that UNICEF recommends workplaces around the world need to implement to ensure they are…
Read MoreGrateful for the Grandparents – Celebrating National Carers Week
Kiri Stejko with her parents and children. PAW’s Fiona Hitchener’s parents with her sons. With National Carers Week upon us, we want to celebrate the significant role that grandparents play in looking after the children of the Parents At Work team. On a quick poll, 90% of the team are supported by grandparents in some form for childcare…
Read MoreBreaking down ‘Carer Stigma’: How to recognise and support carers this National Carers Week
National Carers Week is 13th – 19th October 2019, and is a week to recognise and celebrate the incredible work of carers around the country. With over 2.7 million family and friend carers in Australia, many go unrecognised or are under a lot of pressure as they balance full-time careers with caring responsibilities at home.…
Read MoreNew Family Planning page launched on Parents At Work Learning Platform
Supporting the family before it’s even started Did you know that a recent study found that of those experiencing infertility, 47% had not been open about their struggles at work? And of those, only 29% felt supported by their employer. Just like other medical conditions, infertility drains employees emotionally, physically, mentally and financially. But many of those…
Read MoreWhy I’m ditching the super parent fantasy in 2019
January brings relaxing times and quieter days for some but not all. For parents of young kids and babies, the family tempo may have reduced marginally from manic sprint to marathon jog. But it’s unlikely your ‘holiday’ was filled with breezy afternoons napping, swimming, and relaxing unencumbered by the ties of responsibility. You had kids…
Read MoreWhy we do what we do: the Parental Leave Equality campaign 2018
As we look back on this busy and jam-packed year, we’re feeling a little proud of Parents At Work. Much of our effort this year has been campaigning to get the message of #ParentalLeaveEquality out there – and we know from our work with employers that we have paved the way for introducing better…
Read MoreMy Kid’s Starting Kindy! 10 Top Tips + The Big Question: What age do we send them?
In Australia, parents are charged with the decision on when they send their children to school – at either 4+ years of age, or 5+ years. This turned out to be a far more complex decision than I had anticipated. Why can’t we do it like it is in New Zealand where children start school…
Read MoreDads care too – recognising the rights and needs of fathers as carers
It’s 70 years today since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – it’s a day to reflect, as a global community, that we must continue to strive for the advancement of human rights for all. This year, Parents At Work has been advocating for #ParentalLeaveEquality. It’s about equally supporting both mothers and fathers to enable…
Read MoreSuffering from caring fatigue? Yes, it’s a thing
I care, deeply. I care about the impact I have on others – my kids and partner, their happiness and wellbeing; my whole family and friend circle; my team, colleagues and clients and their families; my local school, my local community, equality, climate change, world peace . . . you get the picture. I worry…
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